News

By Dara Harper 

Change is coming to the SU Catholic Center this fall, and it’s the good kind. As Fr. Gerry Waterman prepares to depart from campus ministry after ten years of faithful service at Syracuse University, two new Conventual Franciscan friars are stepping in to carry that legacy forward: Fr. Emanuel “Manny” Vasconcelos, OFM Conv., and Br. Nicholas Romeo, OFM Conv., together with Campus Minister Patrick McLaughlin, will form the next chapter of Catholic life at Hendricks Chapel. 

Thanks so much to SU Today for this announcement story!

Syracuse University Chancellor J. Michael Haynie today announced the appointment of the Rev. Corey S. MacPherson, D.Min., Ph.D., as dean of Hendricks Chapel. Reporting directly to the chancellor, Dean MacPherson will guide the chapel’s multifaith community and continue its role as the spiritual and civic heart of the University. MacPherson’s appointment is effective Aug. 9 and has been approved by the Board of Trustees Executive Committee.

“Hendricks Chapel has been the spiritual heart and soul of this university for nearly 100 years, and it has meaningfully touched the lives of generations of students,” says Chancellor Haynie. “Corey has spent two decades building trust across different faiths and communities, and he knows how to lead an institution through change. I’m confident he’s the right person to lead Hendricks Chapel into its next century.”

MacPherson comes to Syracuse from Penn State University, where he currently serves as director of the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development. In that role, he restructured the office, developed a new religious affiliate agreement and authored a strategic plan to guide the center’s future growth, supporting more than 50 religious and spiritual communities across the campus.

“Hendricks Chapel means a great deal to this University, and to me personally, and I’m honored to help lead it into its next chapter,” says MacPherson. “I’ve spent my career building spaces where people from many traditions, and no tradition, feel welcomed, respected and supported. I look forward to working with students, faculty, staff and the broader Syracuse community to carry that work forward as we approach the chapel’s 100th anniversary.”

MacPherson brings more than two decades of multifaith chaplaincy and institutional leadership to the role. From 2015 to 2025, he served as university chaplain and Protestant campus minister at Colgate University, where he supported 12 religious and secular communities, served as a voting member within the faculty governance structure and participated in the university’s Emergency Operations Command during moments of campus crisis.

Prior to that, MacPherson served from 2009 to 2015 as vice president for spiritual development and church relations at Eastern Nazarene College, where he served on the president’s cabinet and stewarded relationships with more than 700 churches that generated more than $1.3 million annually in support of the college’s mission. Earlier in his career, he founded and led North Shore Church of the Nazarene in Stony Brook, New York, growing it from a house church into a fully organized congregation.

“I’ve spent my career building spaces where people from many traditions, and no tradition, feel welcomed, respected and supported. I look forward to working with students, faculty, staff and the broader Syracuse community to carry that work forward as we approach the chapel’s 100th anniversary.” —Rev. Corey S. MacPherson, D.Min., Ph.D.

MacPherson holds a Ph.D. in leadership studies and a master of arts degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University, a doctor of ministry degree from Asbury Theological Seminary and a master of divinity degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary. He is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene and currently serves as a chaplain with the U.S. Army Reserve’s 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion, where he advises battalion commanders on ethical concerns and spiritual readiness. MacPherson’s chapter, “A Fractured and Divided Church: A Call to Be One,” will appear in the forthcoming edited volume “Dispatches from Campus,” set for publication by Augsburg Press in spring 2027.

“I’m grateful for the hard work of the search committee,” says Chancellor Haynie. “They moved quickly and carefully, and because of that, we’ll have a strong, experienced leader in place before the new academic year begins.”

The search committee was co-chaired by Dawn Singleton, vice president for the student experience, and David Aitken ’94, G’97, chair of the Hendricks Chapel Advisory Board, and included students, faculty, staff and alumni from across the Orange community.

MacPherson and his family have roots in Central New York, where they lived for more than a decade during his prior work at Colgate University.

By Dara Harper 

“It’s nice to wake up in the morning and know that the things I’ve just planted will be ready to harvest in a couple of weeks,” says Darika Djusupova ’28, one of two student managers at Pete’s Giving Garden this summer. “The vegetables will be donated, and somebody will get to enjoy the tomatoes I’ve grown.” 

Syracuse University’s university organist, Anne Laver, is receiving well-deserved accolades for her work with organs, both domestically and abroad. In both the album and film, Dr. Laver is celebrated along with other Setnor faculty members and the Hendricks Chapel Choir. You can watch the film trailer below! The album is now available on Spotify, Apple Music and on CD. You can see Annie and friends performing throughout the semester at Hendricks Chapel at Malmgren Concerts and more!

Featuring Annie Laver, Nathan Laube, Annette Richards, David Yearsley, David Higgs, David Peckham, Ivan Bosnar, Fred Costello and others. Produced by award-winning Fugue State Films.

Instruments in Upstate New York include the 1876 Hook and Hastings at St Joseph’s Cathedral, Buffalo, the 1927 Skinner at St Paul’s Episcopal Church, Rochester, the 1927 Wurlitzer at the Auditorium Theatre in Rochester, the 1950 Holtkamp and 1995/2026 Harrold at Hendricks Chapel of Syracuse University, and the 2010 GOART/Yokota at Cornell University.

INTERLACED: EIGHT NEW WORKS, THREE PIPE ORGANS, ONE REMARKABLE COLLABORATION

Six years in the making, composer Natalie Draper and organist Anne Laver bring together a community of collaborators in a debut portrait album that transforms the organ from a solo instrument into a creative partner.

“Return to Community: A Sunday Gospel Jazz Service”
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Program: 3:00 PM
Pre-Event Luncheon: 12:30-2:30 PM
There is no fee to attend the program or lunch. All are welcome.
Attendance Capacity: 1,000 attendees

As the grand finale of the Syracuse International Jazz Fest in 2026, Hendricks Chapel of Syracuse University hosted “Return to Community: A Sunday Gospel Jazz Service,” featuring performances by the Winston-Salem State University Choir, The Black Celestial Choral Ensemble (BCCE) of Syracuse University, and a community choir comprised of Syracuse-area residents.

By Dara Harper 

“Why have you traveled so far to be here? Why are you here?” Rev. Akhona Masiza asked the Hendricks Chapel Choir, local choirs and concert-goers at the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. “The world is out of tune. And yet, I marvel at the sight in this room.”  

And, it was truly marvelous. In May, over 50 members of the Hendricks Chapel Choir (HCC) visited South Africa, the choir’s first-ever visit to the African continent. The HCC performed six times in 11 days, from Johannesburg to Cape Town and several places in between. 

Check out Hendricks Chapel’s year-in-review reel!

Hendricks Chapel, the spiritual heart of Syracuse University, is the student-centered global home for religious, spiritual, moral and ethical life. Established in 1930 as a home for all faiths and place for all people, the chapel hosts 15 chaplains, more than 25 religious and spiritual groups, and sponsors over 2,000 programs for more than 1,000,000 annual attendees. Hendricks Chapel employs student workers, supports musical ensembles, offers support through the Student Opportunity Fund and Coach Mac Food Pantry and partners throughout the campus community to advance academic excellence at a university welcoming to all. As a central contributor to holistic life and learning at Syracuse University, Hendricks Chapel helps to prepare engaged citizens, scholars and leaders for participation in a changing global society. For more information, visit chapel.syracuse.edu. 

During the annual Blessing of Students on May 3, 2026, Mian Hamid ’25, G’26, gave his own blessing to Hendricks Chapel. His heartfelt remarks resonated deeply with the audience, as they were filled with meaning and integrity. We invite you to read through this “love letter” and let it wash over you as students graduate and we move into summer’s beauty and fall’s bounty.

Here is Mian’s blessing:

Assalam Alaikum—may peace and blessings be upon you all—and good evening to our esteemed guests, graduating students, and dedicated staff. 

As some of you may know, this moment is a little unique for me—I am graduating for the second time. Last year, I completed my undergraduate degree, and this year, my master’s. And I can say with full certainty that I would not be standing here today without the love, support, and community I found right here at Hendricks Chapel.